Uniting the Clans
by x.Sunspirit.x
Summary: A huge fight long ago split LightningClan apart, and now Lightclan and DarkClan are bitter rivals. However, when a prophecy is recieved that fortells a coming age of peace and union, can two young cats bear the weight and bring their clans together again?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first real story! I really hope it turns out well, since I've worked pretty hard on it! Hopefully I'll put up a new chapter once a week or so. Also, any spelling or grammatical errors are my fault, and please feel free to point them out to me. Enjoy!**

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**Prologue**

A squealing mew split the air, and a snowy white tomcat stopped his pacing shortly, eyes wide with barely suppressed anxiety. He padded slightly closer to a brambly hole that led to a dim, warm den inside. The sun was high in the sky, nearly noon, and it shone down on him like a bright beacon. As he cautiously approached the den, a brown she-cat slid out.

"You can come in now," she meowed. "You've got two healthy she-kits!"

The tom breathed an audible sigh of relief, and stepped into the den. He rushed over to his mate, a yellow she-cat laying on a moss nest near the back of the den. Two squirming bundles of fur lay at her belly, their eyes squeezed tightly shut as they suckled.

"Oh Yellowshine, they're wonderful! I'm so proud of you!" The white tom exclaimed. "That one looks just like you!" One tiny she-kit was a pretty yellow tabby with a long tail, and she did indeed look like her mother. "Let's call her Sunkit."

"Perfect!" Yellowshine gazed down at her to kits, her eyes filled with motherly love. "And the other should be Brightkit, in honor of your mother." The second kit was splotched brown, yellow, orange, and white, with thick fur.

"Sunkit and Brightkit..." The tom sighed. "They will be strong warriors one day. I know it."

* * *

"Cloudkit, come here." Cloudkit rolled over to face his mother. She was laying on her side a tail-length away, smiling kindly at him. "Drink some milk," she purred, and Cloudkit wriggled over to her. He still couldn't walk yet. In fact, his eyes had only just opened that day, and he was still marvelling at the bright, albeit slightly blurry, world that surrounded him. He mewled and nuzzled his mother, finding her teat and beginning to suckle.

Just as he was finishing, a huge gray tom entered the den. Cloudkit squealed in fright and buried himself deeper into his mother's side. _He doesn't have the big-warm-milk-mother scent like my mother!_ Cloudkit thought fearfully.

"Oh Cloudkit, don't be shy," his mother purred, and he could feel the vibrations in her tummy. "It's your father Ashtail, come to visit us, silly kitten." Cloudkit turned and looked up at the gray tom standing awkwardly in front of him. _He has some big-warm-mother scent_, Cloudkit realized, _but no milk_. Cloudkit then turned away from him and curled up in his mother's fur again, zoning out on the two older cats' words. He didn't speak at all yet, but he knew some words, and he reviewed them in his head. His mother had two names: Mother and Snowpelt. He knew his own name, Cloudkit, as well as a few other words too: 'milk' and 'drink' were used to signal him to get food, and 'come' was to tell him to go to whoever had said it. 'Walk' was what bigger cats did, supporting themselves on their paws, and 'den' meant the whole world. He did not understand where other cats came from, besides that they entered through a hole, but it didn't really matter, as long as he had his mother.

Then there was this other cat, the big gray one that his mother called Ashtail and father. It seemed that he had two names too, and he had a special connection with his mother that was not unlike his own with her, but not exactly the same. _Ashtail,_ he thought, a sudden fit of drowsiness overcoming him after thinking so hard._ Ashtail. Father._

* * *

That night, the sky was an inky black sea, punctured only by tiny sparks of light. It blanketed the land beneath in darkness, though the faint light of a half-moon shed enough brightness for two cats to be seen, sitting beside a jutting spire of rock that glittered with ingrown crystals. The cats' eyes glowed luminously as they conversed in quiet tones.

"Is it a good idea?"

"Of course! It'll save the clans, won't it?"

"I don't know, Brownleaf..."

Brownleaf snorted and slashed her tail back and forth, her yellow eyes bright with aggravation. "I don't know why you're hesitating, Bluepool." she growled. "This is obviously the only way to save the clans. And if it's decreed by StarClan, how can anyone protest?"

Bluepool sighed. "They're so young, though... Is it wise to put such a weight on the shoulders of a kit?"

"They must be young!" Brownleaf insisted, her eyes boring into her companion's with a deep intensity. To her credit, Bluepool did not flinch away, and Brownleaf continued after a moment. "If they are already poisoned by this rediculous feud, even the will of StarClan won't be enough to sway them. Anyway, it's two kits, not one. They will bear it together."

"It is their destiny, I suppose..." Bluepool said wryly, and her eyes glittered with a strange humor, as if she knew the punch line to a joke and was allowing it to be told anyway.

"Yes," Brownleaf agreed. "Their destinies are twined together. All we have to do is nudge them in the right direction. Then the clans will be reunited and all will be peaceful."

Bluepool merely nodded, gazing off into the darkness. A hint of dawn had just peeked over the eastern horizon, and the black hills had begun to turn gray. The two sat there in silence for a while, watching the world turn from black to gray to pale color, the dawn sky flooded with pastel pink.

"We must go back," stated Bluepool, standing smoothly and turning to bid her companion farewell. Brownleaf stood with considerably less grace.

"You remember the prophecy?" she questioned.

"Of course. It's not hard to recall." Bluepool snorted.

"Tell me."

Blueleaf rolled her eyes, but spoke solemnly. "A sun and a cloud will bring peace to the clans."

"Good." Brownleaf nodded briskly, and the two cats turned and made their way back to their clans, ready for a new day.


	2. Chapter 1 Brightkit

**So here's chapter one! I forgot to say this in the prologue, but I'll say it now. I know that the prophecy is super obvious, but there is a reason for that! Just bear with me until the end, and you'll understand. Anyways, thanks so much for the lovely reviews! I'll respond to them at the end of this chapter. Now on to the story! Here's Brightkit!**

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**Chapter 1**

"Race you to the Tallrock!" Brightkit suddenly shouted, bounding away toward the large rock in the center of the clearing.

"Hey, no fair! You got a head start!" Sunkit called after her. However, a glance backwards told Brightkit that Sunkit had already leaped after her, abandoning the moss ball they'd been playing with moments before. Their tiny paws pattered on the frosted, hard-packed earth. Brightkit was reveling in the breeze that brushed her fur like her mother's tongue, when Sunkit barreled across the clearing, catching up to her. Her sister zipped past Brightkit and skidded to a halt beside the Tallrock, tapping it with her paw.

"I win!" Sunkit grinned as Brightkit gaped, a stunned look on face.

"But how― I mean― you were back there! And then you were up here...!" Brightkit sputtered, unable to form a sentence.

"I'm just faster than you!" Sunkit mewed haughtily. "In fact, I bet Lightstar will make me an apprentice first, because I'm so fast!"

At this, Brightkit bristled.

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"T―,"

"Enough!"

The two kits froze, their bickering forgotten as they stared up at the looming form above them.

"What's this about?" Lightstar meowed, his voice especially deep and throaty compared to the two she-kits'. He stared down at them expectantly. They didn't say anything, their respect, and fear, of their leader causing them to stay silent.

"Well?" Lightstar growled.

"Sunkit said that she would be an apprentice first because she's really fast!" Brightkit suddenly blurted. As soon as she said it, her eyes widened and she glanced at Sunkit, who was furiously shaking her head.

"Did you now?" Lightstar rumbled. "Do you think a real warrior would tease their clanmate about something that they were better at?"

"It was just a joke!" Sunkit squeaked, her ears flattening against her head as she craned it to look at the leader. Her tail twitched nervously.

Lightstar was silent for a few moments as the kits waited with baited breath; he was known for being a particularly strict leader.

Finally, he meowed, "I'll let you off this time. But don't let me catch you teasing again." He turned to leave, then glanced back. "And Brightkit, it's not good to tattle on your clanmates."

"Yes Lightstar!" Brightkit mewed, blowing a sigh of relief. _Thank StarClan we weren't punished!_ she thought.

"Were you two bothering Lightstar?" Yellowshine's reprimanding meow caused the two kits to turn, their heads once again turned upwards.

"No Yellowshine!" Sunkit mewed quickly, and Brightkit vigorously shook her head. Yellowshine stared at them for a moment, disbelieving, before letting out a resigned sigh.

"All right. Why don't you go see if the elders will tell you a story?"

Brightkit glanced over at Sunkit, who shrugged a silent "Why not?"

"Ok," Brightkit voiced what had passed silently between her and her sister. They turned and scampered across the clearing toward the elders' den.

The kits entered the elders' den, trading the hustle and bustle of the camp for the serene quiet that filled the den with a sense of calm.

"Jayflight, Woodclaw!" Brightkit half-shouted. "Are you awake? Will you tell us a story?"

"Shhhh!" Sunkit shushed, slapping her tail over Brightkit's mouth.

Woodclaw lifted his head only long enough to glare at them before he dropped it back on the moss of his nest. He flicked his tail, curling into a ball and wrapping it around over his nose.

"Go away," he growled, closing his eyes again.

Jayflight groaned and sat up. He looked at the kits' eager faces and frowned.

"What'd you say?" he yawned hugely, his sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light. Brightkit stared at them, slightly frightened. She realized her mistake of yelling and ducked her head, allowing Sunkit to speak.

"We were wondering if you would maybe tell us a story. Please?" Sunkit's wide, innocent, pleading eyes, paired with her fluffy orange fur, made it difficult for most cats to deny her. Brightkit felt a slight pang of jealousy. Any cat with half an eye could see that Sunkit was going to grow up to be a gorgeous cat. She was slim, with luxurious ginger fur and a sweeping tail. Brightkit knew that her own short, calico pelt would undoubtedly be pretty enough, but she was smaller and a little stouter than her sister. She would never be as beautiful as Sunkit.

Jayflight thought for a moment.

"Might as well," he finally sighed. "Since I'm already up. Let me get some fresh-kill first though."

"There's a squirrel right there," Brightkit pointed helpfully to the fresh-kill that lay next to Jayflight's nest. "An apprentice must've brought it in when you were sleeping."

Jayflight blinked in surprise, seeming to seeing the squirrel for the first time. He bent down and picked it up off the ground, shaking it a couple times to rid it of the few dirt and moss bits that clung to the fur. As he crouched and dug into the fresh-kill, the tantalizing aroma of meat wafted into the air. Brightkit's mouth watered at the scent, but she restrained herself from blurting the first thing that came to her mind like she usually did, which, at the moment, was, "Can I have some?"

Jayflight finished the squirrel after what seemed like forever. Brightkit fidgeted impatiently, but when she looked over and saw Sunkit sitting quietly, she plopped down and wrapped her tail around her paws, determined not to seem too fidgety and kit-like. She was almost an apprentice, after all.

Jayflight cleared his throat.

"Have you ever heard the story of how LightClan and DarkClan came to be?" he rumbled.

Brightkit shook her head, and Sunkit meowed,

"No. Will you tell us?"

"Of course," Jayflight cleared his throat again and began the story.

"A long time ago, LightClan and DarkClan were one clan, called LightningClan. LightningClan's leader was a brave tom named Reedstar. Reedstar was everything a good leader should be: caring, intelligent, courageous. However, he was getting older, and was in need of a strong, young deputy to take his place. Lightclaw, a smart, courageous young tom, was chosen as deputy. However, Lightclaw's evil sister Darkdapple wanted the position badly, and so she began to plot Reedstar's demise."

"Lightclaw is Lightstar, and Darkdapple is Darkstar, the evil leader of DarkClan, right?" Brightkit interrupted eagerly.

"You'll have to wait and see," Jayflight answered, then continued with his story. "One evening, Darkdapple asked Reedstar if he would assess her apprentice, Batpaw, though in truth, it was a ruse to get Reedstar out of camp. Reedstar agreed, and they set off into the deepening gloom. Reedstar ordered Batpaw to hunt and bring back a bird, a fish, a mouse, and a squirrel if he was to complete his assessment. Batpaw went first to the river, to―"

"The river that's our border with DarkClan?" Brightkit questioned excitedly. "Frogpaw told me about it! It's huge! The only way across is the stepping―"

"Brightkit!" Sunkit reprimanded. Jayflight was frowning at her.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" The elder asked testily, his tail flicking in annoyance.

"Sorry," Brightkit mumbled. Jayflight huffed, but continued.

"As I was saying, Batpaw was nearing the river. Reedstar watched Batpaw intently, and while he was watching the apprentice, he forgot about the mentor. Darkdapple snuck up behind him and slashed his throat with one swipe of her long, sharp claws.

'Ha ha ha!' she cackled. 'I will be the leader! You can't stop me!' Then, she waited until he had lost that life and took the next, and last, when he woke again."

Jayflight paused, and Brightkit leaned closer to him in her eagerness to hear the story.

"There was some fox fur caught in a bush nearby, and Darkdapple smeared it across his wounds and ordered Batpaw to get help back at camp. She scratched herself a few times, and rolled fox scent all over herself. Then she arranged her face into a perfect mask of anguish. She dragged Reedstar back to camp and wailed, 'A fox! A fox has killed our dear Reedstar!' Lightclaw was of course saddened, but he stood strong for his clan and decided to go to the Moonspire that very night.

'No!' Darkdapple cried. 'Reedstar made me deputy in his last moments! I will go to the Moonspire!'

Lightclaw proposed that they fight it out, but Darkdapple insisted that her 'battle wounds' hurt too much. Her eyes gleamed maliciously all the while."

Jayflight paused again to catch his breath.

"Then," he continued after a few moments, "Darkdapple proposed a vote, thinking that she would win. However, more cats saw Darkdapple for what she was, a traitor and a murderer, and sided with Lightclaw rather than with Darkdapple. Still, Darkdapple would not admit her defeat, and instead she left, taking her dark followers and half the forest. That is why we fight DarkClan: to get back our territory and to abolish the evil that lurks in our forest." Jayflight finished.

"I _knew_ it! They were Darkstar and Lightstar!" Brightkit exclaimed triumphantly.

"Thank you for the story, Jayflight!" Sunkit meowed more politely.

"Sure, sure," the old tom smiled amiably, his earlier annoyance forgotten. "Any time. Now run along and let me sleep!"

Brightkit stretched, her paws reaching out in front of her as her spine arched up. She stood after a moment and shook out her fur, ruffling it into a comfortable mess. Then she turned tail, heading for the den entrance. Pausing, she called back.

"Sunkit, come on!"

"Ok, ok. I'm coming, don't get your tail in a knot!" Sunkit's voice replied. Brightkit rolled her eyes and stepped out into the camp again. The glare of the sun was much brighter than the dim elders' den, and Brightkit's pupils shrank to slits as she lowered her gaze away from the light. She felt the lightest brush of fur on her own; Sunkit was standing next to her, apparently adjusting her eyes as well. After another moment, Brightkit glanced over at her sister.

"What no―"

She cut off short as a patrol swept into camp. Three warriors and an apprentice, all covered in claw marks, their pelts stained red/brown. Blood was already clotting and crusting over their wounds.

"Look!" Sunkit suddenly squealed. "It's Frostfang!"

Brightkit had been too preoccupied watching Jaggedpaw, who seemed to have reached a new level of anger rather than his usual grouchiness. He was storming back and forth, ranting about DarkClan and fighting as his mentor, Featherpelt, attempted to make him stand still for the medicine cat.

As she followed her sister's gaze, however, she noticed that her father /was/ there. He was speaking to Lightstar, the rage in his eyes barely contained. Treeclaw, the fourth patrol member, sat in the background, occasionally putting in a few words and absently raking the frosty earth with his claws.

"He must've been in the battle!" Brightkit exclaimed. "I bet he killed one of those evil DarkClanners!"

"Let's find out!"

Brightkit followed Sunkit as they trotted towards their father. Brightkit's ears perked up as they entered earshot, and she caught a few words of the conversation.

"...dirty, fox-hearted, cowards! They have darkness in their hearts!" Frostfang was snarling. "They crossed the border like it was their own territory, and sprayed their stink on our side of the river!"

"When we caught them, they laughed and sauntered their way back across the stepping stones!" Treeclaw put in.

"Did you win?" Lightstar growled, obviously not in a good mood. Frostfang suddenly averted his eyes.

"It was... unclear." he spoke carefully. This sudden change in demeanor confused Brightkit. Of course we won, she thought. LightClan always wins, right?

"We attacked them on their territory, so technically we had to retreat, but no side was the clear winner." The fierce white warrior finished. He shifted uncomfortably, but whether this was from his wounds or from the cool stare that Lightstar was giving him, Brightkit was unsure.

"Get checked by Brownleaf and get some sleep," Lightstar nodded to the gathered cats and stalked back to his den, flicking his tail for the deputy, Grasseyes, to follow. Brightkit watched as they disappeared into the shadowy gloom of the leader's den, under the slanted rock that she and her sister had raced to earlier that day.

By this time, a crowd had gathered. Frogpaw was talking animatedly with Jaggedpaw, who looked like he wanted to claw his brother's ears off. Featherpelt was telling some of the younger warriors a, no doubt, rather exaggerated version of what had happened on the patrol. Nightfur was fretting over Treeclaw while two of their kits tumbled around them. Closer inspection of the clearing showed Brightkit that their third kit, Cloverkit, was following Brownleaf around like a puppy. No surprise who the next medicine cat apprentice will be, Brightkit thought dryly.

"Frostfang!" a voice screeched, and Yellowshine descended upon her mate, covering his face and muzzle with licks.

"How badly are you hurt? Will you be alright? Hold on while I get Brownleaf!" she fretted.

"Yellowshine, calm down." Frostfang insisted. "I'll be fine. Brownleaf can treat the others first, they're more badly wounded."

"Frostfang!" Brightkit finally piped up, unable to restrain herself.

"Hm?" Frostfang looked over at his kits for the first time since entering camp. He smiled at them. "Come here, you two!"

Brightkit happily obliged, launching herself at her father. Together, she and Sunkit slammed into Frostfang. He barely budged. He was a large cat, and though Brightkit and Sunkit were five moons old, they were not nearly full grown yet.

"Be careful!" Yellowshine exclaimed. "Don't reopen his wounds!"

"Don't worry, they're fine." Frostfang assured her. Brightkit buried her muzzle in his fur, allowing his scent to wash over her. Sunkit looked up at him and asked,

"How many enemy warriors were there?"

"Oh, four or five. And two apprentices." Frostfang replied easily.

"Wow," Brightkit breathed, stepping back and admiring her father's strong, muscular frame. "Someday, I'm going to be just like you!" she vowed.

"No," Frostfang told her. "You're going to be better. Both of you. Faster, stronger, smarter..." He trailed off with a distant look in his eyes.

"Excuse me, all of you." A voice behind them said quietly. Brightkit turned and saw Brownleaf, herbs at her feet.

"I need to heal Frostfang now. You all can see him later," she insisted.

"Oh yes, of course!" Yellowshine gave her mate one more lick and turned away, herding Brightkit and Sunkit in front of her.

"Will you visit us later?" Brightkit shouted back, but Frostfang seemed oblivious to her call. Brightkit sighed.

"He never visits us in the nursery," she sulked.

"You father is a very important warrior. He's very busy."

"But he could at least just drop in," Brightkit whined.

"You get to see him more than Frogpaw, Jaggedpaw, and Tigerpaw get to see their father." Yellowshine told her sharply.

"Well their father's dead, so that puts everyone over him." Brightkit insisted.

"This conversation is over," Yellowshine pushed both of her kits into the nursery. "And it's time for a wash."

"Aaaaw, come on," Brightkit moaned, but Sunkit just followed without complaint, the perfect kit that she was.

Brightkit pouted as Yellowshine's rough tongue rasped over her ears, and she stared out the den entrance, silently willing her father to turn around. Of course he didn't, but Brownleaf did. Her luminous yellow eyes stared at them creepily for a moment, and then she turned away. Absently, Brightkit wondered why Brownleaf had been staring at them like that. Or, more specifically, why she had been staring at Sunkit.

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**Ugh. That didn't end well... Anyway, for some reason, I feel like I tell stories in stories really badly. Sorry that it came out different than I had hoped, and remember that there are two sides to every story. We'll see that in chapter three. OK on to the reviews. :)**

**Lightflame The Warrior: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It means a lot. Thanks you for the advice, also. The punch line thing was a little off, I agree, but I was trying to make a point that didn't exactly make sense. Maybe that even just didn't make sense... Whatever. Anyway, I'm glad that you like it. For the moment, I prefer to beta my own stories, but if you find any errors you can totally point them out to me, and if I start to consistently make errors, I will get a beta reader. Thanks!**

**HazelButterCup: Thank you! I know it's obvious, but all will be explained in due time. I'm especially glad that you liked the Cloudkit part, because I worked hard on it! Also, the punch line part, which I personally think (in hindsight) doesn't make all that much sense; I'm happy that you liked it though! Thanks for reviewing!**

** : Thanks for the review! It feels nice to know that you appreciate the descriptions, since I work on them more than anthing else. Also, I'm glad you liked Cloudkit's POV, because I really tried to put myself into the mind of a kit there. Again, thank you for the wonderful review!**


	3. Chapter 2 Sunkit

**Hey! Sorry it's short but here's chapter two! And it's Sunkit's POV! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2**

Sunkit blinked sleepily, the silence of the nursery muffling the quiet sounds of the world outside the den. She was unsure what had woken her until she opened her eyes to find a band of sunlight shining into them. She squeezed her eyes shut again quickly and rolled over, accidentally squishing her sister's tail before she got out of the direct light.

Thank StarClan she's a deep sleeper, Sunkit thought, watching amusedly as Brightkit merely grunted and continued snoring.

Sunkit stretched, ruffling her fluffy orange pelt. She didn't bother trying to go back to sleep; instead she crept toward the entrance to the den, careful to step over Cloverkit's tail as it protruded from the nest belonging to her and her mother and littermates.

Sunkit peeked out of the nursery, the brambles that surrounded its entrance gently brushing her cheek. The clan was already up and moving. Sunkit watched as Grasseyes organized the patrols. Sweetpool and Mosspelt were exiting camp together, apparently to do some hunting. By the fresh-kill pile, Lilyclaw stood, her tail flicking impatiently. Sunkit frowned for a moment before realizing that she must have been waiting for Tigerpaw. Her suspicions were confirmed as the tabby striped apprentice plodded sleepily out of the apprentice den. He was immediately pounced upon by Lilyclaw, who said something to him sharply and steered him out of camp. Judging by the longing looks at the fresh-kill pile, Sunkit decided that she'd probably said something along the lines of, "You slept too late! No breakfast, we're going straight to training!"

Sunkit's belly grumbled, making her realize just how hungry she was. She stepped out into the clearing, shivering as a brisk leaf-fall wind blew her fur. She fluffed her fur out, attempting to block out the cold, but it didn't really work. With a resigned sigh, she trudged across the frosty earth to the fresh-kill pile. A skinny mouse lay at the top of the pile. Sunkit balanced on her back paws, her front ones resting gently on a squirrel as she grabbed the mouse's tail. She dragged the creature off the pile, accidentally knocking over a sparrow in the process.

"Oops," she mewed guiltily, nosing the bird back before anyone could notice.

Turning her attention back to the mouse, she found that she'd made a good choice. Apparently somebody had done some early morning hunting, because the rodent was still faintly warm and fresh. Silently thanking whoever had brought the mouse back, she dug in, devouring the creature quickly.

When she finished eating, Sunkit sat still for a moment, wondering what to do next. Brightkit was a beast in the mornings, so Sunkit didn't really want to wake her yet. Cloverkit, Blackkit, and Spottedkit were not good playmates; they were too young and small to play roughly with, and too immature to just 'hang out' with. Sunkit prided herself on her maturity.

That was all the kits, so Sunkit went through all the other possible cats that she could talk to. Frogpaw was probably training, Tigerpaw definitely was, and Jaggedpaw was much too rude to talk to for extended periods of time. Frostfang, her father, was likely to be on some patrol or something.

I suppose I could go talk to the elders... Sunkit mused. She soon banished that idea from her mind, however, knowing that they would not appreciate being woken before noon on such a dismal day.

"Smells like rain, doesn't it?"

Sunkit whipped around, her fur bristling in surprise. Brownleaf was watching her, and after a few moments Sunkit realized that she was waiting for an answer.

"Oh! Er, yes, I guess." Sunkit stuttered, not really knowing what rain smelled like.

"Is your paw better?" Brownleaf asked her.

"Uh, yeah, it's feeling better," Sunkit answered, remembering what had happened the day before.

"_Rawr!" Brightkit growled, playfully pouncing on her. They rolled across the hard ground, batting at each other's ears and noses. Brightkit swiped wildly at Sunkit's face, and her paw whacked Sunkit in the eye. Sunkit jumped back and away from her sister in surprise, blinking her eyes hard. _

"_Oh geez!" Brightkit cried, her eyes wide. "Sorry! I didn't mean it!" _

"_I know, I know!" Sunkit snapped back. It didn't really hurt, it had just startled her. Brightkit took a few steps forward to examine her face, but Sunkit needed space. She took a step back and right onto a loose thorn that lay unnoticed next to the prickly nursery wall, where they were playing. _

"_OW!" she screeched as the thorn imbedded itself between her toes. "OW OW OW!" _

"_Oh StarClan, are you OK? Brightkit yelled, and Yellowshine careened out of the nursery. She snatched up Sunkit and brought her to the medicine den, fretting all the while and insisting that she stay with her daughter in the musty den to keep her company._

"Well why don't I check it again just to make sure?" Brownleaf's voice snapped Sunkit back to the present. Then, without waiting for Sunkit's answer, Brownleaf nudged Sunkit over to the medicine den.

_I guess this is ok…_ Sunkit decided. _At least I don't look friendless and alone and useless standing awkwardly by the fresh-kill pile…_

"Well, let's have a look!" Brownleaf's smile seemed a little forced, and her tone was strangely cheery, but Sunkit didn't think much of it. She lifted her back left paw and held it out for the medicine cat to observe.

"Hm. Well, it seems to be doing fine, but we should put a poultice on it just to be positive." Brownleaf gathered a few herbs together and began chewing them.

"Um, really, I think it's ok." Sunkit assured her. "It doesn't even hurt and there's barely a cut." On the inside, Sunkit was wondering why Brownleaf was making such a big fuss. After all, warriors got thorns in their paws all the time. Usually, they just pulled them out and kept going!

"We can't have a prophecy cat getting sick," Brownleaf mumbled under her breath, but Sunkit heard all the same.

"WHAT?" she exclaimed, nearly falling over, and replacing her back paw on the ground to steady her. Now Brownleaf looked uncomfortable.

"Ah, yes." She meowed, meeting Sunkit's eyes with her large, creepy, yellow ones. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You see, the night you were born, I went to the Moonspire and got a prophecy from StarClan about you. It is prophesied that you and a kit from DarkClan will unite your two clans." She said it like it was no big deal, but the Sunkit still reeled in shock and had to sit down.

"So, so I'm part of a _prophecy_? And I have to unite two clans who hate each other?" Brightkit would probably say "Cool!" and act like it was one great big adventure, but Sunkit just could not wrap her mind around it.

"Yes," Brownleaf nodded. "That's the idea."

"O-Ok, so who's this other kit?"

"Cloudkit."

"And how do I meet her? Does she know?" Sunkit frowned.

"I believe Cloudkit will be told by Bluepool, the DarkClan medicine cat. And, ah, Cloudkit is a 'he'" Brownleaf added.

"A tom? But then… that means you want me to fall in love with him!" Sunkit realized. "Ew! We're just kits! Toms are icky when they get all lovey-dovey!" She wrinkled her nose.

"You may think differently as you mature," Brownleaf had a slight smirk on her face.

"I'm very mature right now, thank you very much!" Suddenly, Sunkit was angry. How dare Brownleaf spring this on her! She didn't feel special! And anyways, how was she supposed to unite two clans that were literally at war? She wasn't even an apprentice yet!

"I think my paw is fine, thank you!" Sunkit said stiffly, turning tail and walking out of the medicine den.

"We'll talk about this again soon!" Brownleaf called after her, but Sunkit continued walking, pretending not to have heard.

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**Hope you all liked it! Remember, tell me how you feel, even if your review is just "I liked it" or something! Oh, and next chappie is Cloudkit!**

**Not Logging In: Thank you for the review!**

**HazelButterCup: Thanks so much for reviewing! Yes, Brightkit is slightly jealous, but she would never admit it! And thank you for the constructive criticism! I try to make the sentences flow as best I can, but sometimes things come out funny and don't get fixed, so thanks for calling me out on that one! **


	4. Chapter 3 Cloudpaw

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

I'm going to be an apprentice! Cloudkit sat proudly by his mother's side, his fur groomed to perfection. The sun was risen but not yet at its zenith, and the whole clan had gathered in the chilly morning light to see Cloudkit's ceremony.

"Cloudkit, please step forward," Darkstar called regally from her position in the Great Maple's lower branches. Cloudkit walked calmly to the base of the tree, craning his neck to look up at his leader. The sun dappled throughout the branches of the maple and shined off the few black spotted, wrinkled leaves that clung to the twigs. It made Cloudkit squint, and he hoped that Darkstar would come down soon so he could stop straining his eyes. Then the realization that he was going to become an apprentice coursed through his veins all over again, and he forgot about the sun.

"This is a proud day for DarkClan. By naming apprentices, we show that we remain strong, and that the next generation is ready to learn and take up our fights as their own." Darkstar paused for a moment, sweeping her gaze around the clearing. Cloudkit took a deep breath. _This is it._

"Cloudkit, from this moment until the day you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Cloudpaw. Hollyclaw, you have proven yourself as a strong, capable warrior and mentor many times over. You will mentor Cloudpaw. I trust that you will teach him as you have taught your past apprentices and that you will make him a fine warrior."

_Hollyclaw!_ Cloudpaw thought nervously. _She's one of the senior warriors!_ He turned towards Hollyclaw, who had stepped out of the crowd and was now at his side. He looked up at her, his blue eyes anxious and wide, and reached up to dab his nose on hers before shyly ducking his head. As he stepped back by her side, the whole clan seemed to be frozen, like they were unsure what to do.

"Cloudpaw!" Troutpaw's bright meow called from near the edge of camp, breaking the silence. A few chuckles bubbled forth, and a smattering of cheers. The clan began to separate, splitting off into patrol groups, and his parents trotted over to him, their chests puffed out proudly.

"Oh, I'll miss you sleeping in the nursery with me, but I know you'll be well taken care of!" Snowpelt purred, rasping her tongue over his ear in a totally embarrassing way.

"Snowpelt!" Cloudpaw complained, ducking away. Ashleaf was next.

"I know that, uh, you'll be a good apprentice," he muttered gruffly. There was an awkward moment when father and son just stood there, not meeting each other's eyes.

"All right!" Hollyclaw cut in. "You'll talk to them later. Right now we are going to start training." Cloudpaw nodded vigorously, welcoming the chance to avoid speaking with his father. Ashleaf and he had never been close.

"Where are we going?" Cloudpaw inquired timidly, following Hollyclaw out through the bramble bush tunnel for the first time in his life.

The trees suddenly stretched higher above him; the sky seemed wider; the twitters, chirps, and rustles of the forest sharper and more focused in his ears. Everything was bigger, brighter, more real than it had ever been to Cloudpaw, and all his thoughts evaporated in his mind, replaced by a single word.

"Wow!" Cloudpaw breathed, staring up at the forest in wonder.

"Come along then!" Hollyclaw nudged him, breaking the spell of the forest. Cloudpaw jolted and quickly began trotting again, following his mentor deep into the rustling woods.

Eventually, the pair stopped in a small clearing. It was surrounded by oak and elm trees, the spindly branches snaking skyward. Most of the leaves had already dropped, leaving a carpet of crunchy brown above the moss-covered earth. In the distance, a solitary chickadee twittered.

"Do you know where we are?" Hollyclaw asked. Cloudpaw shook his head. "You should have been paying closer attention," His mentor reprimanded. "If you are ever taken to enemy territory, you should be able to find some general landmarks to help you find your way back. It's a skill that you will have to develop in time. Right now, however we are going to focus on hunting." Hollyclaw crouched, her belly fur just barely brushing the leaves. Her hind legs were tucked under her, the muscles in them showing clearly through her fur and skin. "This is a hunter's crouch." she told him. "Try to imitate it."

Cloudpaw was surprised. He'd heard that usually the first thing a new apprentice did was learn to fight, so that they'd be ready for any border skirmishes they might be thrown into. Still, he crouched, feeling clumsy. His back felt too hollow, his paws unbalanced. It all felt uncomfortable.

"Your tail and your distance from the ground are good." Hollyclaw mused. She stepped forward and used one paw to push his stomach up. "Arch your back more, and suck in that kitten-fat. We'll work that off in no time, but for now, suck it in." Then she moved his front paws closer together, and his back paws under his haunches more. "How does this feel?" She asked.

"Um, better. More comfortable." Cloudpaw mumbled, ducking his head slightly. It was true. Arching his back gave him better spinal support, and shifting his paws allowed him to balance much more easily.

"Good," Hollyclaw nodded. "It should feel like this every time. By the time you become a warrior, you should be able to do the hunter's crouch in your sleep. Now watch." Hollyclaw slid into the hunter's crouch and began to stalk silently across the ground. For a moment, Cloudpaw was confused as to how she moved so quietly when a bed of crunchy leaves littered the forest floor. Watching more closely, Cloudpaw realized that she used her front paws to gently move the leaves aside. The brisk autumn wind sounded nearly the same as it blew the leaves across the clearing.

"Do it," Hollyclaw ordered. Cloudpaw began to stalk across the ground, trying to imitate the expertise he had just seen. _Crunch cr...ACK crunch CRUNCH_, his feet thumped on the crackly leaves that carpeted the dirt and moss. He stopped and looked up at Hollyclaw, but upon seeing her dissatisfied face, he ducked his head again in shame.

"Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I suppose I've seen worse on a first try," Hollyclaw sighed.

By the time they had finished training and were walking briskly back to camp, it was past midday. Cloudpaw was panting just from the sheer exertion of taking in all the information that had been thrust upon him and putting it into actions. He was happy, however, with how much he had learned. The hunter's crouch was, apparently, for stalking almost every animal, but there were slight variations to each crouch and stalking technique. They had simply practiced walking, though, until Cloudpaw's form was near perfect and his steps were not quite so loud and crunchy.

"Hollyclaw?" a voice called. "Cloudpaw?" Cloudpaw spun around, locating the origin of the voice. Bluepool sat by a small stream near camp, her front paws deep in what Cloudpaw realized must have been freezing cold water. As Hollyclaw led the way closer to the silver-blue medicine cat, Cloudpaw saw the pile of whitish roots next to Bluepool. She lifted her paws from the water, brushing the last of the dirt off the root she was holding in her paws. She placed it on the pile and turned to Hollyclaw.

"I'd be extremely grateful if I could borrow Cloudpaw for a few moments," she told Hollyclaw. "There are too many burdock roots for me to carry myself, so if Cloudpaw could carry a few, it would be very helpful."

"By all means, borrow him." Hollyclaw replied, then turned to Cloudpaw. "Once you're done here, you may eat and rest. We are done for the day." With that, she turned and loped away towards the camp, leaving the medicine cat alone with Cloudpaw.

"All right," Bluepool began. "You take that pile there," she swept her tail to indicate another pile that Cloudpaw had not seen before. "I'll take this one." she picked up the roots in her jaws and began trotting back to camp. Cloudpaw snatched the roots in his own pile and darted after her. He followed her whisking tail through a small gap in the bushes that surrounded camp, and found himself in the very back of the medicine cat's den. He made a mental note to remember this passageway for future use.

"Now just hold on there for a moment while I put these away," Bluepool instructed, after dropping her roots. She neatly placed them in small holes in the sides of the fallen tree that created the medicine den. Cloudpaw noticed the other indentations where he assumed herbs must be kept, as well as a separate section of the hollow log where soft moss nests lay._ Probably for sick patients,_ he figured, setting his own pile on the ground gently.

"So Cloudpaw," Bluepool chatted as she tidied the den, sorting and sifting through a few piles of leaves and dried flowers that were scattered across the earthen floor. "How was your first day training?"

"Erm, good, I guess," Cloudpaw mumbled shyly, wondering why the medicine cat was making such an effort to converse with him.

"Listen Cloudpaw," Bluepool's tone turned suddenly more serious. "I need to talk to you about something very important."

_Am I in trouble?_ Cloudpaw wondered. _What have I done?_ "Um, ok..." he meowed nervously, shifting his paws. He sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws.

"You have a great destiny, Cloudpaw," Bluepool began. "A few days after you were born, I received a prophecy. A sun and a cloud will bring peace to the clans. You are the cloud, that much is obvious. I have talked to Brownleaf, the LightClan medicine cat, and she believes that the sun is a young cat named Sunkit. Once Sunkit becomes an apprentice, she and you will have to meet to discuss how you can bring peace to these two warring clans."

Cloudpaw stared. "What?!" This could not be true. Bluepool must be playing some strange joke on him. Yet her face was deadly serious as she watched the gray and white tom process the information. "I... I..." Cloudpaw was speechless. He ran through what Bluepool had said, about meeting a she-cat from another clan. "But... That seems like... Like I would have a, erm, mate from a rival clan." Cloudpaw stuttered awkwardly.

"Yes, well, if that strengthens the bond between the two of you, then Brownleaf and I feel that it might be a good thing if you have, ah, feelings for each other."

_Here I am, sitting in the medicine den, talking to the medicine cat about my future love life with a cat from my clan's enemy clan, and I'm only six moons old. How messed up can my life get?_

"Anyway, thank you for your time Cloudpaw." Bluepool was all business. "I'll talk to you more in depth about this once Sunpaw becomes an apprentice. Goodbye."

Cloudpaw frowned, his head swirling with all the new information, but he let the medicine cat shoo him out, and headed toward the fresh-kill pile to grab a mouse to eat.

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**Eek! So sorry for the huge wait! I was at sleep-away camp all summer, and then I've just been really busy. Sorry! Anyway, hope you like the chapter! I'm not very good at endings, I think. **

**Lightflame the Warrior: Thank you so much for your review! You're right; Lightstar _does_ have some dark secrets, but Tigerpaw, Jaggedpaw, and Frogpaw's father was killed by DarkClan cats in a border skirmish when they were very young.**

**Oh yeah. In the last chapter I said that we would see that there are two sides to every story in this chapter. Well, I changed it. You'll hear more about that later. **

**Thanks for reading! :) Tell me what you think please!**


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